Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Arts and crafts

Discover knitting, crochet, scrapbooking and art and craft ideas on this forum.

Original poster

Help with upholstry - for hard backed chairs

26 replies

Katymac · 10/08/2007 20:34

OK I might buy some chairs for the nursery (recycled so very 'green')

But how do I (or even can I?) pad the seats and finish them off neatly?

The seat and the back are screwed on from the front - so where I would normally recover them and screw them off, cover them, then screw them on from the back I can't because they aren't thick enough

Any idea or help?

OP posts:
Original poster
Katymac · 11/08/2007 10:04

Could I cover them in sticky back plastic - or would that look naff?

OP posts:
Original poster
Katymac · 11/08/2007 12:31

Maybe I could get some very thin foam and make them squishy rather than upholstered?

OP posts:
Original poster
Katymac · 11/08/2007 18:34

Oh dear......no advice?

OP posts:
Original poster
Katymac · 11/08/2007 20:03

oh

OP posts:
Original poster
Katymac · 12/08/2007 11:40

bump

OP posts:
rantinghousewife · 12/08/2007 11:47

I'm assuming that the seat bit that is screwed on from the front is in the form of a frame?

Original poster
Katymac · 12/08/2007 11:50

No - it's a curved piece of plywood

OP posts:
Original poster
Katymac · 12/08/2007 11:53

curved as in....it's flat and curves down at the front so your leg has a confy bit to lean against

OP posts:
Gingermonkey · 12/08/2007 12:11

can you put a pic on your profile, might help us out a little bit with ideas?

rantinghousewife · 12/08/2007 12:11

Hmm, is there anyway to seperate the frame?
Just thinking if you could seperate it you could put your padding in and then cover it and screw it down.

Original poster
Katymac · 12/08/2007 12:22

Pictures on profile

OP posts:
rantinghousewife · 12/08/2007 14:02

Sorry had to get some lunch and we're going away in a couple of hours, (last minute packing!!)
I see they're old school house chairs, am not great at upholstering (only done it the once) but I should think it can be done, you would probably have to take the seat bit off, unscrew it and I can't tell from the pics but you'd probably have a bit of wood underneath the removed seat. If you haven't it would be a big(ish)job. If you have you could see if you could make up a board, pad it and cover it as you do a normal set in seat. But I think you really need to try and unscrew the seat bit first to see what you're dealing with.

Original poster
Katymac · 12/08/2007 14:04

Have a lovely time

Struggling with it at the mo

OP posts:
Gingermonkey · 12/08/2007 14:07

You could take the seat bit off, use thin foam for seating (like caravan seats etc but thin) and then use oil cloth to cover and screw the whole bit back on. If you use a staple gun and make sure the seat bit is nice as smooth it would look really quite nice, I think. Would that work?

Original poster
Katymac · 12/08/2007 14:24

That is kinda what I thought

But I will have to screw them back on through the top of the seat

OP posts:
Gingermonkey · 12/08/2007 18:32

I think as long as the screws were nice and new and you maybe put an eyelet around the hole on the seat pad where you were going to screw through they would look fine, nice even. And if you used an eyelet then the material wouldn't fray or rip either.

Original poster
Katymac · 12/08/2007 19:02

That is a really good idea about the eyelets - would I get them from B&Q?

I'm thinking chrome would lok nice

Where can I buy oilcloth (I know John Lewis -but I'm thinking cheaper)

OP posts:
Gingermonkey · 12/08/2007 19:57

cath kidston has some in the sale (oilcloth - not eyelets, lol!) or ebay, or even somewhere like the market (if you have one with a decent fabric stall), and I saw some in fabric warehouse a little while ago too. I know you can get it quite cheap if you shop about. And as for eyelets, I think you may be best at the local hardware store because there is always a really helpful old man there who knows everything about everything (not like at B&Q where you get some idiot who doesn't know what a screw driver is ). I would take a screw in from out of the chair and show it to him and he would produce (like magic) a variety of options for you. And the local hardware store has that lovely smell too (or is it just me that thinks that?!)

Original poster
Katymac · 12/08/2007 20:01

I think Cath Kidson is a bit out of my league for 25 chairs........but fabric warehouse is a bit more my style

I guess if I do 5 chairs in each material & if I have to replace/repair it won't look too odd

OP posts:
Gingermonkey · 12/08/2007 20:22

blimey - 25!!!!!! >

Original poster
Katymac · 12/08/2007 20:30

I'm going to get some youngsters to take them apart and rub down the wood

If I am covering the seat & back I guess painting the legs etc would be best probably a spray paint is easiest - white I guess

Or I could leave them plain & varnish them - I don't think wax is hardwearing enough - tho' it is greener

OP posts:
Gingermonkey · 12/08/2007 20:52

I'd probably go for varnish. White may get too dirty too quickly. I presume the youngsters involved are not at the nursery?, ha ha ha

Original poster
Katymac · 12/08/2007 21:19

Fonrtunatley not - they are teen agers I can pay a low wage too

I'll have to pick the oilcloth carefully if I go for varnish - I am quite careful about what goes with wood

OP posts:
Gingermonkey · 12/08/2007 23:29

lol, teenagers will do anything for a few quid!!!
When DH did the shop fit for his shop he had white painted storage that doubled as display/seating and it got scuffed really easily. I suppose you could paint them white and then varnish over the top (using a matt varnish) as an extra layer of protection. I agree with the choosing of oilcloth and wood, but everything (near enough) goes with white. hmmmm, it's tough isn't it?

ib · 13/08/2007 07:31

You could try oiling them as well. Very green, and has the advantage that it can be renewed at any time without the need to sand or anything.